Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films independently produced by Marvel Studios and based on characters created by Marvel Comics. Paramount Pictures distributed some of the earlier films, such as ''Iron Man'', ''Iron Man 2'', ''Thor'', and ''Captain America: The First Avenger'', while Universal Pictures distributed ''The Incredible Hulk''. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures started distributing every film in the series starting with ''The Avengers'', following their acquisition of Marvel Studios in 2012; Sony Pictures, however, distributes the Spider-Man films, which they continue to own, finance, and have final creative control over. The Infinity Saga Phase One Iron Man (2008) Tony Stark builds himself a suit of armor after he is taken captive by a terrorist organization. Free from his captors, he decides to upgrade and don his armor in order to hunt down weapons that were sold under the table. The film ends with a post-credits scene introducing Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, who approaches Stark to discuss the "Avenger Initiative". The film also features Captain America's shield in one scene and introduces Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson. The Incredible Hulk (2008) After being exposed to gamma radiation that causes him to transform into the monstrous Hulk, scientist Bruce Banner goes on the run and isolates himself from his love, Betty Ross. Hunted by the military, Banner seeks to cure himself and prevent his condition from being weaponized. The film takes place simultaneously with the events of Iron Man 2 and Thor, the former of which is set six months after the events of Iron Man. Robert Downey Jr. briefly reprises his role as Tony Stark in a cameo appearance at the end of the film. In addition, Captain America is briefly seen frozen in ice in an alternate opening of the film, included in the DVD release. References to the super-soldier program are made as well. Iron Man 2 (2010) After Tony Stark reveals himself as Iron Man, the U.S. government demands he hand over his technology. Meanwhile, a rival industrialist and a Russian scientist conspire to use his own technology against him. The film takes place six months after the events of Iron Man and simultaneously with the events of The Incredible Hulk and Thor. Captain America's shield is again used in a cameo. The film also introduces Scarlett Johannsson as Natasha Romanoff/ Black Widow and Don Cheadle replaces Terrence Howard as James "Rhodey" Rhodes, who dons one of Stark's suits and becomes War Machine. A scene toward the end of Iron Man 2 in a S.H.I.E.L.D. safehouse contains several Easter eggs, ranging from footage of The Incredible Hulk displayed on a monitor to pointers on a map indicating several locales related to other Marvel films, including one pointing toward a region in Africa in reference to the Black Panther. A young Peter Parker appears as a child wearing an Iron Man mask whom Stark saves from a drone; the appearance was confirmed by Spider-Man actor Tom Holland, Kevin Feige and Spider-Man: Homecoming director Jon Watts. The film's post-credits scene showed the discovery of Thor's hammer in a crater. Thor (2011) Thor, crown prince of Asgard, is banished to Earth and stripped of his powers after he reignites a dormant war. As his brother, Loki, plots to take the throne for himself, Thor must prove himself worthy and reclaim his hammer Mjolnir. The film takes place simultaneously with the events of The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man 2, the latter of which is set six months after the events of Iron Man. Clark Gregg reprises his role as Phil Coulson from the Iron Man films. The film introduces Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/ Hawkeye in a cameo. The film ends with a post-credits scene directed by Joss Whdon and featuring Loki, watching as Erik Selvig and Nick Fury discuss the Tesseract. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) In 1942, Steve Rogers is deemed physically unfit to enlist in the U.S. Army and fight the German Reich in World War II. Recruited for a secret military operation, he is physically transformed into a super-soldier dubbed Captain America and must battle the Red Skull, head of a Nazi science division known as Hydra. The Tesseract from the Thor post-credits scene appears as a McGuffin. Dominic Cooper portrays a young Howard Stark, the father of Tony Stark, who hosts an early version of the Stark Expo, the fair Tony hosts in Iron Man 2. The final scene of the film includes an appearance by Nick Fury followed by a teaser trailer for Marvel's The Avengers after the credits. Marvel's The Avengers (2012) Nick Fury, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., gathers the superheroes Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye to fight Thor's brother Loki, who plots to subjugate the Earth. Gwyneth Paltrow appears as Pepper Potts, who was included on Robert Downey Jr.'s insistence. All of the original actors reprise their respective roles, though Mark Ruffalo replaces Edward Norton as Bruce Banner/ Hulk. The supervillain Thanos appears in a mid-credits scene, portrayed by Damion Poitier. Phase Two Iron Man 3 (2013) Tony Stark faces a powerful enemy, the Mandarin, who attacks and destroys his mansion. Left to his own devices and battling posttraumatic stress disorder, Stark struggles to get to the bottom of a series of mysterious explosions. The film is set in December 2012, six months after the events of The Avengers, with Stark displaying PTSD-like symptoms following the Battle of New York featured in that film. Bruce Banner appears in a post-credits scene. Thor: The Dark World (2013) Thor reunites with astrophysicist Jane Foster as a series of portals, linking worlds at random, begin to appear. He discovers the Malekith and his army of Dark Elves have returned after thousands of years, and they seek a powerful weapon known as the Aether. Thor must join forces with his now-imprisoned brother Loki to stop them. The film is set one year after the events of The Avengers. Chris Evans briefly makes a cameo as Captain America when Loki shapeshifts into him while mocking Thor. A mid-credits scene directed by James Gunn introduces the Collector as a tease for Guardians of the Galaxy. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) Steve Rogers, now working with S.H.I.E.L.D., teams up with Natasha Romanoff/ Black Widow and Sam Wilson/ Falcon to expose a deep conspiracy which involves a mysterious assassin known only as the Winter Soldier. The film is set two years after the events of The Avengers. Stephen Strange, the alter ego of the Marvel superhero Doctor Strange, is mentioned by name by character Jasper Sitwell. A remolded Stark Tower from The Avengers, now known as Avengers Tower, also makes an appearance in the film. A post-credits scene directed by Joss Whedon features Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, List, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch, who appear in Avengers: Age of Ultron. The revelation in the film that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been infiltrated by Hydra informed the final six episodes of the first season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., a television series set in the MCU. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) Peter Quill/ Star-Lord and a group of misfits, including Gamora, Rocket, Drax the Destroyer and Groot, fight to keep a powerful orb from the clutches of the villainous Ronan the Accuser. The film is set in 2014. Josh Brolin provides the voice and motion capture for Thanos, the supervillain who appeared in The Avengers post-credits scene. James Gunn noted that the film would be connected to Avengers: Infinity War. Several other objects of significance appear in the Collector's museum, including a Chitauri from The Avengers, a Dark Elf from Thor: The Dark World, among other characters. Ronan's race, the Kree, were first introduced in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode "T.A.H.I.T.I.". Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye must work together as the Avengers to defeat Ultron, a technological enemy bent on human extinction, while encountering the powerful twins Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, as well as the new entity Vision. The film confirms that the gem in Loki's scepter is an Infinity Stone, specifically the Mind Stone, and Josh Brolin reappears as Thanos in the mid-credits scene wielding an Infinity Gauntlet. It also features references to Vibranium and Wakanda, both connections to the Black Panther, introducing both to the universe ahead of Black Panther's solo film. Additionally, Andy Serkis portrays Ulysses Klaue, traditionally a Black Panther antagonist, and would subsequently appear in Black Panther. Ant-Man (2015) Thief Scott Lang must aid his mentor Dr. Hank Pym in safeguarding the mystery of the Ant-Man technology, which allows its user to decrease in size but increase in strength, from various menaces and plot a heist to defend the Earth. The film is set several months after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Scott Lang attempts to infiltrate the new Avengers headquarters in Upstate New York featured in Age of Ultron, and confronts Sam Wilson/ Falcon. This scene was included after viewing of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Anthony and Joe Russo filmed the post-credits scene, which was footage from Captain America: Civil War, and features Falcon, Steve Rogers/ Captain America, and Bucky Barnes/ Winter Soldier. Phase Three Captain America: Civil War (2016) The Avengers become fractured into two groups, one led by Captain America and another by Iron Man, after extensive collateral damage prompts politicians to pass an act regulating superhuman activity with government oversight and accountability for the Avengers while also facing against a new enemy, Helmut Zemo, who seeks revenge upon the Avengers. The film is set one year after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Captain America: Civil War introduces Tom Holland as Peter Parker/ Spider-Man and Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa/ Black Panther to the MCU, who appear in solo films in 2017 and 2018, respectively. William Hurt reprise his role as Thunderbolt Ross from The Incredible Hulk, and is now the US Secretary of State. The mid-credits scene introduces Wakanda. Doctor Strange (2016) After Stephen Strange, the world's top neurosurgeon, is involved in a car accident that ruins his career, he sets out on a journey of healing, where he encounters the Ancient One, who teaches Strange the use of Mystic Arts and to defend the Earth from mystical threats. The events of the film take "roughly" a year, ending up to date with the rest of the MCU. Doctor Strange introduces the Eye of Agamotto, a mystical relic that can manipulate time and is revealed to be an Infinity Stone near the end of the film, specifically the Time Stone. The film's mid-credits scene directed by Taika Waititi features a cameo appearance from Thor meeting with Strange, which was footage from Thor: Ragnarok. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) The Guardians of the Galaxy travel through the cosmos and struggle to keep their newfound family together while helping Peter Quill learn more about his true parentage and facing against new enemies. The film is set two-to-three months after the events of Guardians of the Galaxy, in 2014. The film introduces Pom Klementieff as Mantis and Kurt Russell as Ego the Living Planet. One of the film's post-credits scenes hints at the introduction of Adam Warlock. The Grandmaster, played by Jeff Goldblum, is seen dancing in the credits, before his appearance in Thor: Ragnarok. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) Peter Parker tries to balance being the superhero Spider-Man with his high school life under guidance of Tony Stark as he deals with the threat of the Vulture. The film is set several months after the events of Captain America: Civil War, which is four years after the events of The Avengers (though the film says onscreen that it has been eight years, this has been proven to be false). Robert Downey Jr., Jon Favreau, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Chris Evans reprise their roles as Tony Stark/ Iron Man, Harold "Happy" Hogan, Pepper Potts, and Steve Rogers/ Captain America, respectively. The clean-up crew Damage Control appear in the film (after previously being referenced in Iron Man and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) ahead of an intended television series about them. Various weaponry and artifacts from previous films are referenced throughout the film that Adrien Toomes/ Vulture and his crew repurpose for their weapons. In Parker's high school, one his classes has a lesson about the Sokovia Accords, and portraits of Bruce Banner, Howard Stark and Abraham Erskine are seen within the school. Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Thor, trapped on another world without Mjolnir, must survive a gladiatorial duel against the Hulk and return to Asgard in time to stop the villainous Hela and the impending Ragnarok. The film is set four years after the events of Thor: The Dark World, two years after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, and around the same time as Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming. Mark Ruffalo and Benedict Cumberbatch appear as Bruce Banner/ Hulk and Stephen Strange, respectively. The film reveals that the Infinity Gauntlet first seen in Odin's vault in Thor was a fake, while also introducing Thanos' ship Sanctuary II in a post-credits scene. Black Panther (2018) T'Challa returns home as sovereign of the nation of Wakanda only to find his duel role of king and protector challenged by a long-time adversary in a conflict that has global consequences. The film is set one week after the events of Captain America: Civil War. Florence Kasumba, Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman, and John Kani reprise their roles as Ayo, Ulysses Klaue, Everett K. Ross and T'Chaka respectively from previous MCU films. The film's post-credits scene features a cameo appearance from Bucky Barnes. Avengers: Infinity War (2018) The Avengers join forces with the Guardians of the Galaxy to try to stop Thanos from collecting all six Infinity Stones. The film is set two years after the events of Captain America: Civil War. Marvel had been planting the seeds for Infinity War since their early films, by introducing the Infinity Stones as McGuffins; the Tesseract/ Space Stone in Captain America: The First Avenger, Loki's Scepter/ Mind Stone in The Avengers, the Aether/ Reality Stone in Thor: The Dark World, the Orb/ Power Stone in Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Eye of Agamotto/ Time Stone in Doctor Strange. Additionally, Thanos is seen wielding an empty Infinity Gauntlet in Avengers: Age of Ultron. The Red Skull from Captain America: The First Avenger appears in the film, played by Ross Marquand instead of Hugo Weaving, and is the keeper of the final Infinity Stone, the Soul Stone. The post-credits scene features Nick Fury transmitting a distress signal on a device, which has the insignia of Captain Marvel. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) Scott Lang tries to balance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, when Hope van Dyne and Hank Pym present him with a new mission, requiring him to team up with Van Dyne as the Wasp. The film is set two years after the events of Captain America: Civil War and before the events of Avengers: Infinity War. In the mid-credits scene, Hope van Dyne, Hank Pym, and Janet van Dyne are disintegrated as a result of the events of Infinity War. Captain Marvel (2019) Carol Danvers becomes Captain Marvel, one of the galaxy's strongest heroes, after the Earth is caught in the center of an intergalactic conflict between two alien worlds. The film is set in 1995. Samuel L. Jackson, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, and Clark Gregg reprise their roles as Nick Fury, Korath the Pursuer, Ronan the Accuser, and Phil Coulson, respectively, while the Skrull species are introduced to the MCU. The Russo brothers filmed the mid-credits scene, which was footage supposed to occur offscreen before the first scenes of Avengers: Endgame, and features Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, James Rhodes, and Bruce Banner. The post-credits scene features Goose regurgitating the Tesseract on Fury's desk after swallowing it during the film's third act. Avengers: Endgame (2019) After half of all life in the universe was killed due to the actions of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, the remaining Avengers and their allies must reassemble to revert those actions in one final stand. The film begins three weeks after the events of Infinity War, before jumping ahead five years. It does not have a post-credits scene, but features the sound of an Iron Man suit being hammered at the end of the credits as a callback to the first MCU film, and a teaser trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home was played after the credits in some screenings of the film. Endgame was entitled to mark the final appearances of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark and Chris Evans as Steve Rogers. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) Peter Parker goes on a school trip to Europe with his friends. While abroad, he is recruited by Nick Fury to team up with Mysterio to battle the elementals. The film is set eight months after Avengers: Endgame. Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders reprise their respective roles as Nick Fury and Maria Hill from previous MCU films. The mid-credits scene features J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson. The post-credits scene features Bend Mendelsohn as Talos and Sharon Blynn as Soren, reprising their roles from Captain Marvel. Post-Infinity Saga Phase Four Black Widow (2020) After the events of Captain America: Civil War, Natasha Romanoff finds herself alone and is forced to confront her past. The Eternals (2020) The Eternals, an immortal alien race created by the Celestials, are sent to Earth to protect humanity from their evil counterparts, the Deviants. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2021) Untitled Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel (2021) Thor: Love and Thunder (2021) Future Black Panther II (2022) Blade Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Untitled Captain Marvel sequel Untitled Fantastic Four film Untitled mutant-centered film Untitled Ant-Man and the Wasp sequel Category:Film series Category:Shared universe